Boyles questions film commission funding (DOCUMENTS)

Okaloosa County Commissioner Nathan Boyles on Tuesday questioned the value of the county’s one-person film commission.

KARI C. BARLOW / Daily News

Okaloosa County Commissioner Nathan Boyles on Tuesday questioned the value of the county’s one-person film commission.

“I really would like to learn — and frankly, in a public meeting — learn about that process,” he said. “ … I’d love to meet our film commissioner. I’d love for her to come to this meeting and tell us what she does. I’d love for the public to know what she does. Why we spend $67,000 (a year).”

The county spends about $67,000 a year to fund the film commission, which includes a single contracted position within the Tourist Development Department. Gail Morgan, who holds the contract, is paid an annual salary of $38,000.

Boyles’ comments came during the board’s discussion about spending bed tax money to market the area to visitors.

“I still struggle to get a level of comfort with this entire process,” he said. “What we do with these tourist development dollars is kind of different from the normal things that government does, infrastructure and so forth.”

Boyles asked Tourist Development Director Ed Schroeder whether Morgan could share more details about her work.

“I’d love to know what our successes have been,” he said. “I’d love to know what our weaknesses are.”

After the meeting, Schroeder said Morgan’s work is vital to the county’s marketing efforts. He said the revenue she brings in every month, on average, more than pays for her position and the funding for the film commission.

Those revenues are measured by tracking the business generated by movie, television and other industries that come to the area.

“It’s everything from catalogue shoots to television commercials to major motion pictures,” he said.